Archive for April, 2010|Monthly archive page

Portman has raised over $2.3 million dollars in the first quarter of 2010, giving him a very strong advantage over the Democratic challenger, whomever it may be.

Lee Fisher, of course, slams Portman’s fundraising number as coming from “the lobbyists and and PACs” so he can come across as the champion of the little guy. But when asked in the article what was the difference between Portman’s fundraising and the fact that Fisher also raised money from PACs and lobbyists, here’s what he says:

…..said he will not raise as much from such sources because they have already sided with Portman.

So it’s ok for Democrats to raise money from special interests only if they get to them first? If not, then it’s bad. I understand.

Can Democrats please get off of the high-horse when it comes to raising money? Many act like the Republicans are the only ones that get money this way. Last I checked, unions do qualify as a special interest group, and Dems got millions from them.

And please Democrats, give Fisher the nomination. Not like Brunner would be all that tough, but if Fisher was the nominee, Portman wouldn’t have to break a sweat.

Columbus is the third city in Ohio to ban texting while driving within its limits. This law will go into effect in one month.

Of course, the supporters of this bill say it’s for safety. However, there is no solid evidence that shows the effect of texting while driving, and Columbus Police Chief Walter Distelzweig doesn’t sound like someone that considers this a priority nor does he have any concrete ideas on how to enforce it; these are issues that should have been addressed BEFORE it passed.

It is ridiculous to text while driving, and even more so that we have to legislate it. But lets be honest here: like the seat beat requirement, it’s a money grab for cities with struggling economies.

Quinnipiac University released a poll yesterday that has incumbent Ted Strickland leading 43-38 over GOP challenger John Kasich in the gubernatorial race and has both Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner leading Rob Portman in the Senate race to succeed George Voinovichby 4 and 1 point(s), respectively.

Of course this news makes Democrats excited, but Republicans shouldn’t be too disappointed. In both races, there are a very high number of undecideds, so there is a lot of room for Kasich and Portman to make up ground. In the race for governor, Strickland has been under 50% support for a long time and has not been moving, which is “typically worrisome signs for an incumbent” according to the pollster.

The race for the Senate is not much different. There is also a high number of undecideds in the race, but the plus for Portman is that by a 46-44 margin, Ohioans do not want a Senator that supports Obama’s policies.

So there is a long time from now to November,and that means a long time for mud to be thrown on the challengers. To get an idea of the hack-etry that Kasich and Portman will be up against, look here and here.